Sebastian remained completely quiet after Count Kalan’s outburst.
The First Prince sat calmly on his chair with one hand resting against the armrest while his other hand supported his chin lightly.
His expression had not changed much, but his mind was moving rapidly behind those calm blue eyes.
Across the table, Crypian also stayed silent. He did not rush Sebastian.
He simply watched him quietly with the sa composed smile on his face, almost as if he already expected this reaction from everyone in the room.
Count Kalan, who had been speaking passionately just monts ago, slowly stopped talking after seeing that the prince gave no imdiate response.
The count’s chest rose and fell heavily from anger while the room itself remained silent.
No one dared to interrupt Sebastian while he was thinking.
’To allow TCL into the Holy Empire...’ Sebastian slowly narrowed his eyes.
This was not a simple business agreent. This was a decision that could place the sovereignty of the entire empire in danger.
After all, there had already been a similar case on the continent of Auranel many years ago.
Everyone among the higher nobles knew the story.
Around a hundred years ago, near the territory controlled by the powerful Hayes Clan, there existed a large kingdom known as the Rising Sun Kingdom.
At that ti, the kingdom was allied with the Hayes Clan and depended heavily on them for protection and trade.
But over ti, the royal family of the Rising Sun Kingdom began feeling dissatisfied.
They believed the Hayes Clan treated them more like servants than allies....which they did.
Eventually, the kingdom secretly sought help from the Thorne family in hopes of reducing their dependence on the Hayes Clan.
And the Thornes had agreed. But naturally, their support ca with conditions. The Thornes had only asked for one thing.
Allow TCL to enter the kingdom and conduct business freely. At first, the royal family of the Rising Sun Kingdom had been hesitant.
They feared TCL’s influence. So in the end, they attempted to limit them by placing heavy taxes on TCL products, hoping their own local industries would remain competitive.
For a while, things seed stable. But TCL was patient, very patient. Year after year, they slowly expanded deeper into the kingdom.
Small businesses began collapsing one after another because TCL could produce goods cheaper and faster than anyone else.
rchants who resisted eventually disappeared from the market. Smaller nobles slowly fell into debt and beca dependent on TCL trade routes and supplies.
Factories, mines, transport systems, food production...Little by little, TCL spread its influence into every corner of the kingdom like roots growing beneath the ground.
And throughout all of this, the Hayes Clan remained silent. They saw exactly what the Thornes were doing.
But they did not interfere. Perhaps they simply wanted to watch the Rising Sun Kingdom weaken itself.
And in the end...The royal family lost everything. The kingdom slowly beca nothing more than a puppet under Thorne influence.
Even its economy no longer belonged to itself. By the ti the royal family realized what had happened, it was already too late.
The Thornes had taken control without even needing an army.
Then, after many years of slowly grinding down the kingdom from within, the Hayes Clan finally moved.
They invaded and took over the weakened land completely. The Rising Sun Kingdom disappeared from history soon after.
Sebastian rembered that story clearly.
Which was exactly why the current situation in front of him felt so dangerous.
Allowing TCL into the Holy Empire was like opening the gates of the empire with his own hands.
And yet...Sebastian slowly clenched his fingers against the armrest. There was no easy way around this either.
The Church’s influence inside the Holy Empire had grown too powerful over the years. Especially after the arrival of the new Saint. The people adored the Church.
Even nobles had begun listening to the Church more than the royal family itself.
And Sebastian hated that more than anything.
Once he ascended the throne, he had no intention of sharing authority with anyone.
Not with the Church nor with the nobles.
Which was exactly why he had approached the Thornes in the first place.
He needed sothing strong enough to suppress the Church’s growing power.
But now...Sebastian slowly looked toward Crypian again. For the first ti since the eting began, the calm smile on the First Prince’s face had faded slightly.
"Haaah..."
Prince Sebastian finally let out a long quiet sigh as he leaned slightly deeper into his chair.
The calm smile that had remained on his face throughout most of the eting had already faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest while his blue eyes remained fixed on the black table before him.
Neither choice in front of him was good.
If he rejected TCL completely, then the alliance with the Thornes could weaken before it even properly began.
But if he accepted their entry into the Holy Empire, then he could very well be opening the gates of the empire to one of the most dangerous organizations on the continent.
The room remained completely silent while Sebastian thought.
Count Kalan and the other nobles watched him carefully without daring to interrupt. Even the servants near the walls stood motionless beneath the soft golden light of the crystal lamps hanging from the ceiling.
Across the table, Crypian also remained silent.
He simply watched Sebastian calmly with the sa composed expression on his face, almost as if he already expected the prince to struggle with this decision.
After several more monts of silence, Sebastian finally lifted his gaze toward him.
"It seems this request would be difficult for us to comply with, Lord Crypian," he said softly.
The mont those words left his mouth, Count Kalan quietly released a breath filled with relief.
The tension in his shoulders loosened slightly as he leaned back against his chair. For a mont, he truly believed the prince had rejected the proposal.
However, Sebastian’s next words instantly shook him.
"Still..." Sebastian continued calmly, "if TCL operates under the supervision of the Holy Empire, and if the empire holds the authority to regulate its activities within our territory, then this matter may still be negotiable."
Count Kalan’s expression changed imdiately.
"But Your Highness....!"
He abruptly rose from his seat once again, unable to hold himself back this ti.
His face was filled with disbelief as he looked toward Sebastian, but before he could continue speaking, Duke Ryane’s cold gaze landed directly on him.
"Sit down." The duke’s deep voice echoed through the chamber with quiet authority.
"The prince knows what he is doing. Do not interrupt unless you are asked to speak."
Count Kalan’s face stiffened slightly.
The frustration in his eyes was obvious, but under Duke Ryane’s sharp gaze, he could only swallow the words he wanted to say.
Slowly, he lowered himself back into his seat while clenching his jaw tightly. After that, no one else dared to speak.
The atmosphere inside the chamber beca strangely heavy again. Then suddenly, Crypian smiled faintly.
"It is as Your Highness says."
As he spoke, he slowly reached his hand across the polished black table. Sebastian looked at the offered hand quietly for a mont before finally extending his own hand forward.
Their handshake was firm. And with that single action, an agreent between the Holy Empire and the Thornes had officially begun.
Several nobles exchanged uneasy glances after witnessing it.
So looked relieved that the negotiations had not collapsed, while others seed deeply worried about what this alliance might bring in the future.
Crypian’s smile deepened slightly. "Now that we have reached the terms," he said calmly, "perhaps we should discuss the final details regarding TCL’s entry into the empi..."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Three sudden knocks interrupted him before he could finish speaking.
The sound echoed heavily through the silent chamber, imdiately drawing everyone’s attention toward the large doors of the eting hall.
Sebastian slowly frowned. ’Who could it be?’
This eting had been kept strictly private from the very beginning.
The guards outside had already received direct orders not to allow anyone near the chamber unless given permission.
Yet soone had still co. Sebastian slowly turned his gaze toward the old butler standing near the wall and lightly gestured toward the door with his eyes.
The butler imdiately understood and gave a respectful nod before calmly walking toward the entrance. The room remained silent as everyone watched him.
Even Crypian’s eyes quietly followed the movent.
The butler finally reached the massive doors and slowly pulled them open.
The mont he saw the people standing outside, his eyes widened slightly. An unconscious frown briefly appeared on his face before he quickly hid it behind a polite expression.
"Commander Cassian..." the butler greeted carefully. "What brings you here?"
The mont those words entered the room, several nobles visibly stiffened.
"Commander Cassian?" Shock imdiately spread across the chamber.
Everyone knew who he was. The Commander of the Paladins.
One of the Church’s highest-ranking figures and a man who answered directly to the Church itself.
What was soone like him doing here?
But before anyone inside the room could properly process the situation, the butler suddenly spoke again, this ti unable to fully hide the surprise in his voice.
"Your Holiness... the Saint is here as well?"
Sebastian imdiately stood up from his chair the mont he heard those words.
For the first ti since the eting began, genuine confusion appeared in his eyes.
The Saint himself had co here? Why?
Nothing significant had happened recently that should have required the Church’s direct involvent.
At least... nothing that Sebastian could imdiately think of.
And then, before anyone inside the chamber could speak further, a deep authoritative voice echoed from outside the doorway.
"As per the orders of the Saint, the Church is here to punish the heretic. Please do not interfere."
The mont those words entered the room, the atmosphere instantly changed.
The pressure inside the chamber beca suffocatingly heavy.
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